Everyone loves gingerbread. And, everyone loves butterscotch. So, why not combine the two flavours into these beautifully delicious Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies!? Break out your favourite cookie cutters; it’s time to bake!
Perfect for gift giving, decorating, or simply dusting with a bit of sugar, Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies are bound to be a big hit with your loved ones! I have to tell you, I could barely keep my hands off them long enough to take the pictures. They are simply delicious. And, look at how well they maintain those sharp cut edges!
Should you be new here, let me tell you a bit about how this works. This is my third annual Christmas cookie extravaganza. Like the previous two years, I will post a brand new Christmas cookie recipe for 24 consecutive days. Yes, that means Saturdays and Sundays too! For your reference, you can find links to the first two years further down the page.
Fresh off of my 12 Biscotti of Christmas series, I’m excited about this new series. Last year, I also did 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas. Now, who’s ready to get started on today’s cookie with me? Let me ask you again today. Do you have your flour and sugar ready? Is your butter at room temperature? Is your apron on and your oven preheated? Good! Let’s get to it!
HOW TO GET THE PERFECT ROLLED COOKIE
I have a few tips that I want to share with you on how to get perfect Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies. I have seen many times a rolled cookie that has that unsightly baked flour residue on it. Who wants to eat that? If you roll your dough between two sheets of parchment paper, a dusting of flour on the countertop is not needed!
Once you have rolled out the dough, be sure to dip your cookie cutter into confectioner’s sugar first. Tap off the excess and position the cookie cutter on the dough. Push firmly straight down. I’ve seen so many people twist the cookie cutter from side to side to release it from the dough. Don’t do this! It will mess up your perfect cut cookie shape.
Lift the cookie cutter straight up. Once all of your cookies are cut, use a metal spatula, or even an off-set spatula to lift away the excess dough. You can re-roll that to get more cookies. Lift the cookies using a metal spatula and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES!
Did you know that I’ve been posting a 24 Cookies of Christmas series for a few years now? There are over 100 Christmas cookie recipes that you can find right here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen! To make it easier to find, I have created a page for each series. Just click on the image below and you’ll find the full series for that volume all one page!
WHAT TYPE OF BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING SHOULD I USE?
Basically, there’s two types of boxed butterscotch pudding – regular and instant. In most cases, you’ll be hard-pressed to find regular pudding mix anymore, because they world has gone and got itself in a hurry. Don’t worry; the instant works perfectly and that’s what I used in this Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies recipe.
You will need two boxes of the dry pudding mix. This is the exact box that I used. I know that butterscotch pudding also comes in a fat free version. You can certainly use that if you prefer.
We are not concerned about the fat or sugar content in the pudding. It’s the butterscotch flavour that we want to extract and incorporate into the gingerbread cookies. Any brand of butterscotch pudding will do just fine. And, if you can’t find the 99 gram size box, get one as close as you can to that. For non-Canadians, 99 grams converts to 3.5 ounces.
DECORATION OPTIONS
As you can see, Dear Reader, I’m not very experienced with decorating. I opted to mix it up a little. I think the contrasting colours and texture add to the overall appeal of the plate of cookies. Since Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies are gorgeous just the way they are, you can leave them that way. Otherwise, break out your decorating tips!
I also opted to dust a few of the cookies with confectioner’s sugar. If you do this, and want to keep some of them plain, be sure to some of the cookies away from the rest. Otherwise, they’ll all be covered in white!
To decorate with lines and little dabs, you will want to use a royal icing. It sounds regal, but to be honest, it couldn’t be easier. Don’t let it intimidate you. You will need a little bit of cream of tartar, but you should already have the other ingredients. Royal icing is perfect for outlining, or adding some little designs. The icing doesn’t run!
MORE CHRISTMAS CONFECTIONS!
In some cases, we want more than a cookie. That’s why I have two more Christmas-themed collections you might want to consider. The first, is my 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas, and the second is my 12 Biscotti of Christmas. Click on the image below to see each collection all on one page with links to each recipe!
STORING, PACKAGING, AND FREEZING
If you plan to freeze these cookies, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight fitting lid too. (I use these quite often when freezing baked goods.) I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that cookie freshness locked in!
You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give the frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out onto a wire cooling rack to thaw. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.
CONCLUSION:
As I said, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 100 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!
Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 packages Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Royal Icing:
- 1 large egg white
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and beat into the butter mixture.
- Next, add the flour, butterscotch pudding, baking powder, ginger, and cinnamon. With the mixer on low speed, blend into the butter mixture just until the flour is incorporated.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from fridge and roll dough a 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut out desired shapes.
- Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack.
- Roll out the rest of the dough and start again. Repeat until all dough has been used.
- When the cookies are completely cooled, prepare the royal icing by beating all ingredients together until the icing is smooth and glossy.
- Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a your tip of choice. Decorate the cookie according to your preference.
- Allow the icing to harden before stacking. Can be left on the counter top in a food safe container for 5-7 days.
Nutrition
irene sin says
good visual & easy to understand recipe with good tips 😊 i will give it a try. Cheers
Sharon McClurg says
This is a fabulous site. Food porn at its absolute best! My lucky, lucky cousin….I’m passing this link on to everybody.
byronethomas@gmail.com says
I’ve been telling him that for years! Someone finally agrees!! 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Ashley says
I just stumbled on your site tonight and I love all the recipes I have seen so far. I want to try a cookie challenge with my 6yr old daughter, but we will bake cookies Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Thank you for posting all these recipes and pictures ❤
Kelly says
Tried this recipe for christmas and it was great! Huge hit at the house. Do you think this recipe could be used as biscotti dough?